EAW020735 ENGLAND (1948). New housing development around Saxville Road and the early stages of contstruction at Ravenscourt Road, St Paul's Cray, 1948

Grays Farm. Opening in 1953 and separated by a school playground, Grays Farm Infants and Junior School were built on this site. Some nine years earlier, a V1 rocket reportedly came down onto the field. The Infant classes were eventually incorporated into the junior school, with the vacated Infant school building being sold off as small business units. The school remains in operation and the appearance of the original buildings remain much the same as they were when first built..............Update - the original infants school building which was later turned into business units, has now been completely demolished and replaced by a housing development (circa 2016).

Chipperfield Road. This road existed in virtually the same layout as today's road for many years before any notion of building a new housing estate in the area.

Now part Chipperfield Rd. This field was soon to have the new extended part of Chipperfield Road built across it, thereby connecting Lessons Hill to St Mary Cray station/Station approach, giving residents of the estate easier access to the station.

Broom Avenue

Lessons Hill.

Old Queen Mary's Hospital. These huts formed various wards and units of the original hospital which was located a little further south than the existing hospital. Opening in 1917 as mainly a military hospital for the injured of WW1, it was initially named Queens Hospital and later renamed Queen Mary's. During the mid 1970's, the current hospital was built and brought into use as the huts and wards of the old hospital (barely unchanged from when first built) were closed and demolished.

By the mid 1950's, this field was to become home to two Secondary Modern Schools, namely Midfield Boys and Midfield Girls - seperated by the length of a football pitch. During the early 1970's, they were renamed Walsingham, possibly named after the famous Sir Thomas Walsingham of the Tudor reign, who owned land around this area and whose title of ownership passed to his descendants for a quite a few generations. The school ceased functioning in 1990. With the girls school now complely demolished and only the Boys school gymnasium and hall left standing, the site is now predominately a housing estate.

Midfield Primary School. Built upon this site in the very early 1950's, this small school still functions today.

Lessons Hill school was built on this site and opened in 1954/55. Parts of the school have now been replaced by a housing development.

Now Arbrook Close. At the time, it was a house sited within a small orchard located between Silverdale Rd and the junction of Ravenscourt Rd/Chipperfield Rd, which became known to children of the estate as 'Pop's Orchard'.

Hoblingwell Woods. After felling the trees during the mid-late 1950's, the site is now unwooded recreation grounds and playing fields.

This site was soon to become the junction of Mickleham Road / Chipperfield Road and later have St Pauls Cray Library built upon it.

What was to become Whippendell Way.

Ravenscourt Road

The Co-Op Cotmandene Crescent

Site of Homebase

Now Kemnal Technology College

Cotmandene Crescent

The Broomwood, now McDonalds

Corke's Meadow

The field which will become Oxford Road, Cray Wanderers' ground from 1973 - 1998.

Footscray Social FC's ground. Known as Twysdens, the ground was also home to Cray Wanderers Fc fro 1936-40.